Shopping
Along Frankfurt’s central shopping mile, the Zeil, you will find everything a shopper’s heart could desire. Find your way from the Westend campus to subway number 1, 2, or 3. You can take any of these traveling toward Südbahnhof and get off at Hauptwache. Take the escalator up out of the station, and you will find the shopping mile stretched out before you.
Alternatively, the shopping mall Skyline Plaza is situated in the area around the main train station and is also easy to reach.
If you don’t like it quite that commercialized, check out the Leipziger Straße in Bockenheim or the Berger Straße in Bornheim. Both of these streets are lined with smaller boutiques and offer a relaxed atmosphere for discovering just the right thing. The Leipziger Straße is at the station Bockenheimer Warte, across the street from the café “Extrablatt”. Take subway 4, 6, or 7 or bus 36 to get there. The Berger Straße in Bornheim can be reached by taking subway number 4 directly to the stations Merianstraße, Höhenstraße or Bornheim Mitte.
Shops and department stores are usually open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 - 20:00. Most supermarkets are open from 07:00 to 22:00. All shops are closed on Sundays and public holidays.
Going out: the city districts
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Main Train Station District
In Frankfurt’s main train station district, in which the magnificent buildings remaining from the nineteenth century oriented themselves towards the example of the Parisian Champs Elysee, dubious bars and erotic shops confirm today for many passers-by the image of the somehow frightening but simultaneously fascinating red-light district. And yet this part of town is not the exclusive stomping ground of social workers. A diverse multitude of immigrant cultures have established themselves here more than in any other district. Whether it’s the Indian, Korean, African, Italian, or Eritrean community – nowhere else is the presence of these people more noticeable and dazzling than here. A stroll among the Iranian supermarkets, African beauty shops, Indian and Turkish hangouts, and probably international red-light bars can be an adventure for the attentive observer. Especially on Kaiserstraße and Münchener Straße, restaurants, snack bars and bars are lined up.
If you should pass by in Münchener Straße on your way home and are thirsty, visit the Yok Yok Kiosk. This is known throughout the city and, regardless of the season, invites a large and diverse crowd to drink together and relax on the street.
Places to stop, refresh and go out in the main train station district
- Toastado: Bistro, Münchener Straße 13. Toastado is a small café, with good coffee, delicious toast creations and homemade cakes.
- O´Reilly: Irish Pub, Münchener Straße/am Hauptbahnhof 4. For Friends of the Irish art of brewing, football and karaoke. The large Irish Pub counts among the favourite addresses for intoxicating experiences and shared sports memories.
- Akmal Sweet Center: Pakistani Snack, Elbstraße 22. The small snack restaurant with window front offers Pakistani specialties and sweets at reasonable prices.
- Ristorante Bacco: Restaurant, Kaiserstraße 34. The Italian restaurant with an elegant atmosphere is highly recommended because of the excellent cuisine and the moderate prices.
- Saravanaa Bhavan, Kaiserstraße 66: Indian Restaurant. The restaurant serves delicious vegetarian food is often filled completely.
- Mian Nudelhaus: Chinese restaurant, Niddastraße 52. Only traditional Chinese dishes are served here, the portions are large and very tasty.
- Mosob Restaurant: Eritrean and Ethiopian cuisine, Niddastraße 82. Family managed restaurant and bar for Eritrean and Ethiopian cuisine in a modern, stylish ambience.
- Pizzeria 7 Bello: Italian Restaurant, Niddastraße 82. The restaurant is quite small but serves good pizza and pasta for little money.
Bockenheim
Bockenheim is a favorite city district among students – and not only because the old campus is in the immediate vicinity. The Leipziger Straße is one of the most interesting shopping streets in Frankfurt. Not as large, of course, as the Zeil, and of course not as chic either – in exchange, the Leipziger Straße captivates with its picturesque atmosphere and liveliness, with its many little shops and the stands of the vegetable markets extending into the sidewalks. In the summer, you definitely shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to pick out one of the fine street cafés in the area, enjoy a refreshing drink, and lose yourself in the sight of the bustling stream passing colourfully before your eyes.
Characteristic for Bockenheim is not just the colourful variety of people and businesses, but also the proximity to convention centre and university. The “Institute for Social Research,” made famous by the representatives of the (philosophical) Frankfurt School, can also be found here, and you shouldn’t miss the chance to follow in the footsteps of the great thinker from the old campus over the Bockenheimer Anlage by way of the so-called “Adorno stoplight”. This was erected back then by the city as a reaction to complaints from the master himself, for he liked to take a shortcut by crossing the street on his way from the auditorium to the institute.
But have no fear if a full-grown Tyrannosaurus Rex confronts you on your way. The adjacent Senckenberg Natural History Museum will surely be glad to answer any questions you may have in this regard.
Places to stop, refresh and go out in Bockenheim
- Restaurant Kish: Persian Restaurant, Leipziger Str. 16A. Persian restaurant with colourful oriental decor, lunch buffet, water pipes and outdoor area. At lunchtime it offers a unique feature: You decide the price you want to pay for the buffet. This is an ongoing experiment – and obviously a very popular one.
- Ban Thai: Thai Restaurant, Leipziger Str. 26. Wok dishes and Thai curries with many spices in a typical interior with bamboo decoration. Seats are also available in the inner courtyard.
- Bistro Hong Kong: Chinese Bistro, Leipziger Str. 26. Eating here is possible until late in the evening, the dishes are good and low-priced. Dining is done in a casual, simple atmosphere.
- Erta Ale: Ethiopian Restaurant, Leipziger Str. 47. The Restaurant offers a large selection of Ethiopian dishes in a cosy atmosphere.
- Café Crumble: Café and Restaurant, Kiesstr. 41. Here breakfast, coffee and delicious cake, salad or soup from the daily menu are served at the white marble counter or at wooden tables. In good weather it is possible to sit in a cosy inner courtyard.
- Pizzeria Peppino: Italian Restaurant, Adalbertstraße 13. Here you can find good pizza for small money in a casual atmosphere until late in the evening.
- Café Extrablatt: Café and Restaurant, Bockenheimer Landstr. 141. This café and restaurant, located directly on the Bockenheim university campus, is the first stop for students looking for a coffee in-between or a cigarette afterwards. Simple dishes are offered for the small and large appetite. Comfortable atmosphere with a view of the Bockenheimer Warte.
- Stattcafé: Café and Restaurant, Grempstr. 21. Lively café in the heart of Bockenheim. Especially attractive in summer is to sit in the street café and order delicious salads and a wonderful cheese platter. Definitely a hot tip!
- JOE PEÑA'S CANTINA Y BAR: Mexican Restaurant, Robert-Mayer-Straße 18. Some people say it is the best Mexican restaurant in town. Lovers of Mexican cuisine and especially of steaks get plenty of enjoyment here.
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Westend
Astonishment and perhaps even a secret desire to own a similarly “modest” home overcomes the pedestrian on a walk through the Westend’s magnificent villa-lined streets. And they’re worth fighting for – that’s what certain radical political activists thought back in the 70s. The streets of Westend provided the setting for the legendary street fights where the future foreign minister let off some steam.
For the more contemplative among us, the Palm Garden (Palmengarten) and the adjacent Grüneburgpark offer ample space for a dignified stroll.
The palette of bars in the Westend is something for those with a pricey taste, but cozy little corners can be found as well.
Places to stop, refresh and go out in Westend
- Pizzeria Romanella: Italian Restaurant, Wolfsgangstraße 84. The cosy Italian restaurant with excellent pizza is located near the Westend Campus.
- Ristorante Casa Rosa: Italian Restaurant, Leerbachstraße 94. The family run restaurant offers very tasty Italian food in a warm atmosphere.
- Vai Vai: Italian grill, lounge and bar, Grüneburgweg 16. The restaurant is a trendy meeting place, the atmosphere casual but still chic. Drinks and food are not quite cheap.
- Reuter’s: Italian Restaurant, Wolfgang Str. / corner Reuter Str. Restaurant often visited and much praised by the members of the ethnological Africa-colloquium, delicious Italian cuisine.
- Taboo: Café and Bar, Unterlindau 69, (corner Altkönigstr.). Keep your head cool, even after several drinks; the stylish bar with its minimalist, sterile atmosphere and absence of distracting elements is virtually predestined for a lively intellectual exchange.
- Cinellis: Café and Snack Bar, Grüneburgweg / Corner Fürstenbergerstr.The former water house is located between the Westend Campus and the Gründeburgpark and invites you to stay, especially in good weather. Guests have a choice of hearty focaccias and sweet snacks as well as coffee and various drinks.
- ASIA thai food: Thai Restaurant, Freiherr-vom-Stein-Straße 22. Noodle and rice dishes from Thailand are served in the small fast food restaurant with wooden benches and terrace.